Jake Long III (Season Two)
Chapter/Episode Three: The Dog In The Streets
On the Island of Draco, Lin-Lin, trying to hide her face, jogged over to the Main Hall. Inside, the entire Council was seated, looking at Sillian and Regan. "We're going to start today." Sillian said. "Dragon Harris says that she feels rested enough to leave the hospital."
"Do you two feel that she is ready to leave the hospital?" Agata asked.
"We trust your opinion on this." Yara said. "If you feel as though she is not well enough to leave, you need to make that call."
"We believe her." Regan smiled. "She looks rested."
At that moment, the doors to the Main Hall opened and Lin-Lin stepped inside, no longer hiding her face. Both Sillian and Regan turned to face her, Regan gasping as she saw that Lin-Lin's face was molting off. She was going through her molting cycle.
"Don't say a word about my face." Lin-Lin barked, pointing a finger at her.
"No, it's quite alright." Regan held her hands up. "I went through my second molting cycle a year ago. Is this your second-?" However, before she could finish, Lin-Lin rudely walked in-between the two Agents, bumping into their shoulders as she walked over to the Council, stopping right in front of their large table.
"Councilors..." Lin-Lin tried to be as polite as possible.
"Aren't you sounding humble..." Holly smirked. With a scowl, Lin-Lin looked up at the Council. It was time to drop her good, obedient, polite girl act. They weren't buying it.
"Can I just ask you something so I can get out of here and you can get back to talking with these two?" Lin-Lin asked, reverting to her old self.
"Or..." Yara said. "...You can wait until we are done talking."
"Look, all I want is a favor." Lin-Lin said.
"A favor?" Asil repeated. "And what makes you think that you deserve a favor from us?"
"Look at my face!" Lin-Lin exclaimed, pointing at her face. "Do you really expect me to do anything when I'm like this?"
"Yes..." Every single member of the Council answered.
"I can't!" Lin-Lin told them. "I really can't! I don't want anyone to see me like this!"
"Would you relax, Agent Clark?" Holly sounded annoyed, her eyes were narrowed too. "While a member of this Council, I have gone through my molting cycle seven or eight times."
"You lost track?" Lin-Lin asked, shocked. "How can you lose track of something this horrible happening to you?"
Shockingly, Holly's eyes flashed with anger and she quickly forced herself up into a standing position, using the table to support herself rather than her walking stick. "Because it isn't horrible, Agent Clark!" She exclaimed. "You want to talk horrible? Well, that's just super with me! Have you ever had your older brother murdered? Have you ever had your own mother try to kill you once, let alone around three times? Have you ever been beaten to a bloody pulp? You haven't? I didn't think so. Agent Clark, get your pathetic tail out there. Now."
Her face contorting with rage, Lin-Lin looked down and then spun around, storming over to the door, Regan and Sillian quickly moving to the side so not to encounter Lin-Lin's rage.
Sighing, Holly sat down again. "I'm...sorry for that."
"Don't be, Councilor." Asil said, turning his head to the side. "Where is Dragon Harris now?" Asil then turned his head back to normal, Regan and Sillian walking back up to the table.
"She is right outside, Councilors." Sillian answered.
LINE BREAK
Outside, Haley was waiting, in her dragon form at the edge of the island. As she stared out into the open, she had no idea that the now dragon-formed Sillian and Regan were walking up from behind her.
"So..." Sillian said as he and Regan stopped, Haley turning around when she heard his voice. "...Where do you want to go?"
"I was thinking about going for a walk in New York." Haley said.
"Sounds good." Regan said with a smile on her face.
Together, all three dragons flapped their wings and took off, flying off of the Island of Draco and starting to make their way to New York.
BLACKOUT; PLAY THEME SONG
BACK TO THE STORY/SHOW
Meanwhile, still on the Island of Draco, Jake III and Cherri, who was in her dragon form, were facing each other. Grunting, Cherri tried to swipe at Jake with her claws, but Jake III managed to jump up and flip over her, landing behind her.
With Cherri's back to him, Jake III spun around and kicked out, kicking Cherri in the back. With a grunt, Cherri fell forward, but instead of falling to the grass in a heap, Cherri put her hands on the grass and flipped through the air, landing so that she was now facing Jake.
Granted, Cherri was breathing heavily, but she still had a smile on her face. "You okay?" Jake asked her.
"Yeah, I'm good." Cherri said. "And I'm continually impressed with you, Jake. So, I don't know about you, but I think I've had enough training for today."
"Sure." Jake III replied. "Now what?"
"Want to get some food?" Cherri suggested.
LINE BREAK
In New York, Haley, Sillian and Regan, all in their human forms, were walking down the sidewalk. "So, is there any place in particular that you want to go, Dragon Harris?" Regan asked, turning her head to the side. "Anyone you want to pay a visit to?"
"No." Haley replied. "Just want some fresh air after spending a few days in bed."
"Do you want to go to Central Park?" Sillian asked.
"I have no destination." Haley told him. "In fact..." She smiled. "...Let's go down there." She pointed at the turn in the corner. "I made that up just now." She smiled as she lowered her hand.
"Alright then." Sillian said before the three of them turned and walked into the street.
Upon turning around the corner, all three of them stopped when they heard music and clapping. Right there, in the middle of the street, there was a circle of people, all of them watching something, clapping their hands along with the music that was being played.
"What's going on?" Haley asked.
"You didn't know that this would be happening today?" Regan asked, turning her head to the side.
"How could I know?" Haley asked. "I was in the hospital on the Island of Draco for a couple of days. So, how could I?"
"You mean this isn't a scheduled event?" Sillian asked.
"I don't know."
"I think we should check this out." Sillian said, starting to walk over to the people. With no other choice, Haley and Regan started to follow him.
Moments later, Sillian pushed through the crowd, getting to the front. He stopped and his eyes widened as Regan and Haley arrived beside him. Immediately, Haley's eyes widened and she gasped. "No..."
Standing before her was Fu Dog, was on his hind legs and was dancing to music that was coming from a very old boom-box. Next to the old boom-box was a top hat.
Fu Dog?!" Haley was shocked.
"What does he think he's doing?" Sillian grumbled.
At that moment, the music stopped, and Fu stopped dancing, getting down on all fours. With the show over, everyone clapped, Fu turning his head to the side as he watched coins being tossed into the top hat.
LINE BREAK
Back on the Island of Draco, inside the cafeteria, Jake III and Cherri, who was now in her human form, were sitting across from each other. Cherri had a tray of food in front of her, and with a satisfied look on her face, she finished her last bite of a sandwich.
"I take it you liked that." Jake said with a smile on his face.
"Yeah." Cherri said happily as she moved the tray to her side. "How was yours?"
"Edible." Jake III told her before he smiled again and changed the subject. "So, do you think I could ask you a question, Cherri?"
"Sure."
"When do you think I'll be ready to stop training?" Jake asked her. "And by that, I mean, when will I know when I've passed that? When will I not need to train anymore?"
"You should always train, Jake."
"And what could I do afterward?" Jake continued, seemingly ignoring Cherri's response."Could I become a Dragon Council Agent? They'd let me, right? Wasn't that the idea all along? I-"
"Jake, you're putting way too much thought into this." Cherri told him.
"You really think so?"
"Here's what I think..." Cherri put her hands on the table. "...I think that, while you're getting better, you're still not ready to stop training."
"Okay, but what do you think is going to happen after I do finish?" Jake asked.
"I don't know." Cherri answered before she started to stand up from the table.
"Wh...Where are you going?"
"I'm going to walk all this food off." Cherri smiled as she put a hand on her stomach. "You coming with?"
"Sure." Jake III said before he got up. "Seriously, though." He continued as he and Cherri walked toward the exit. "What do you think will happen?"
"It probably depends on what the Dragon Council thinks." Cherri said as they stepped out onto the grass. "Now can we please just drop the subject?"
LINE BREAK
Back in New York, Fu walked over to the top hat and looked down inside, seeing plenty of coins, and even a few dollar bills. "I hope this is enough." Fu said to himself as he looked up. However, it was then that he sensed that he was still in the company of an audience.
His eyes widening, Fu turned his head to the side, only to see that Haley, Regan and Sillian were watching him. "Hey." Fu said as he turned to face them. "What are you three doing here?"
"I think a better question is: what were you doing?" Sillian asked.
"Don't ask." Fu narrowed his eyes.
"Fu, really." Haley said. "What were you doing?"
"What did it look like I was doing?" Fu Dog replied as he started to walk over to them. "I was performing." He finished as he reached them.
"For money." Sillian said. "And you need to stop."
"Why?" Fu Dog raised his head up. "Am I doing something wrong? I'm not! I'm like a starving artist! You see performers on the street all the time!"
"Do you have a license?" Sillian asked.
"No." Fu replied, like he thought that it was a ridiculous notion.
"Well, busking without a license is illegal." Sillian narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to give you a warning this time, but you need to stop."
Fu Dog scoffed. "You have no jurisdiction, Agent-boy! You work for the Dragon Council, not the police force!"
"True." Sillian crossed his arms. "But I can report you to the Dragon Council."
"Fu, just listen to him." Haley said.
"I can't, kid." Fu told her as he started to back up.
"Why not?" Regan asked.
"I...I need the money." Fu said.
"For what?" Haley asked.
"I...I need a new place to live." Fu quickly lied.
"Oh, Fu." Haley replied sadly, shaking her head once.
"What?" Fu asked.
"I offered you a chance to stay on the Island of Draco last time we met." Haley told him.
"And I turned that down."
"Well, then I-" Haley started, but she abruptly stopped herself as a thought popped into her head. Smiling, she spoke again: "How about this? You can come and live with me."
"I'd...rather not..." Fu lied.
"Oh, come on, Fu." Haley continued. "I'd be so happy if you came to live with me. I'd even feel a little safer."
"Safer?" Fu Dog cocked his head to the side.
"Meet my two new bodyguards." Haley indicated Sillian and Regan.
"Since when do you need bodyguards, Haley?"
"Since my daughters attacked me in my own home." Haley crossed her arms. "They got to me. They actually got to me. I stopped sleeping because I was so convinced that they would attack me during the night when I was sleeping. By the time I finally collapsed of exhaustion, the Dragon Council decided to assign these two to me."
"Yeesh." Was Fu's response.
"Does that change your mind, Fu Dog?" Haley asked hopefully as she lowered her arms to her sides.
Although the look on Fu Dog's face said it all; he would love to go stay with Haley, the shar-pei still shook his head once. "Sorry, kid." He told her. "I gotta do this."
"Then get a license." Sillian told the dog.
"Right..." Fu muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Sillian asked.
"Nothing!" Fu covered himself up. "I will most definitely do what you just told me to do. You can trust Fu! I'll be a good dog. You can trust me to never do anything shady."
LINE BREAK
A short time later, Fu Dog, with the top hat in his mouth, turned around a corner and walked into a dark alley. Upon reaching the center of the alley, Fu Dog dropped the hat onto the ground. "Guys!" He called out. "I'm back! And I have your money!"
At that moment, a laugh could be heard, and a second later, a cat jumped down and landed in the alley. The cat laughed again as she turned to face Fu Dog. "Loved your performance!" She told him. "That was awfully entertaining."
"Yeah, glad you enjoyed it, Trinity." Fu said sarcastically.
"We all enjoyed it." The sound of Jackal's voice could be heard from behind the shar-pei, making him jump in surprise as both Jackal and Cadence walked up beside him. "It was very entertaining, just like Trinity said." As Jackal said this, he and Cadence reached the top hat.
"How much is in here?" Cadence asked as she turned her head to the side to look at Fu.
"Hopefully enough." Fu shrugged.
"You didn't count it?" Jackal asked as he turned his head to the side as well.
"Sorry." Fu retorted. "I was too busy trying to count how much of my dignity I have left. A-goo-goo."
"Trinity, I want you to count the dough." Jackal said as he turned his head in the other direction, looking at Trinity.
"And what are you going to do?" Trinity asked.
"We're going to talk with Fu Dog."
LINE BREAK
Back on the Island of Draco, Jake III and Cherri entered a building and started to walk down the hall. "Why are we coming in here?" Jake asked.
"Do we need a reason?" Cherri smiled. "We're walking, getting some exercise."
"Oh, alright." Jake III replied.
A few moments later, the two turned around a corner and started to walk down it, but they both froze, Jake III gasping as he saw that Lin-Lin was sitting all alone against the wall, her head buried in her knees.
"What's wrong with her?" Jake III asked in a whisper, while Cherri smiled knowingly.
"Okay, I get it." Cherri said before she took a step back. "I'll go and leave you alone." Then, Cherri turned and walked away.
Now alone, Jake III carefully started to make his way over to Lin-Lin, who didn't budge, even as Jake III reached her side.
"Lin-Lin?" He asked after he turned and slid down the wall and sat down next to her. Immediately, Lin-Lin jerked her head up and turned her head to the side, her eyes flashing with anger as she saw Jake.
"Go away." She growled.
"You look upset." Jake III said gently. Of course, she always was upset, and after going into her memories with Sillian and Regan, he knew why. He just couldn't let her know that he knew about her earlier life.
"It's none of your business." Lin-Lin growled.
"Look, I don't know about you, but I'm a nice guy." Jake told her. "I'd like to think that, deep down, you're a nice person."
"You're a pest." Lin-Lin growled.
"I just want to be helpful." Jake told her.
"You can be helpful by leaving." Lin-Lin told him. "I want to be alone."
"How would that be helping you?" Jake asked her.
"You wouldn't be here to put me in an even worse mood!" Lin-Lin shouted. "That's how!"
"That's not my intent." Jake continued. "Look, you're already in a bad mood, and I don't think that being alone will make you feel any better."
"How can you possibly know what would make me feel better?" Lin-Lin growled, narrowing her eyes again. "What gives you the gall to tell me that you know what would make me feel better? You don't even know why I'm upset!"
"I think I could make a guess." Jake told her.
"I'd really love to see you try." Lin-Lin dared him.
"Judging by the look of your skin-"
"It's a molting cycle!" Lin-Lin told him forcefully. "All dragons go through it every ten years or so!"
"So, this is your second time?" Jake asked her.
"Yes." Lin-Lin's angry tone faded away and was replaced with one of both sadness and disgust.
"So, it is your appearance that is the cause of your bad mood..." Jake III said softly.
"You'd be upset too if you had this face!"
"Yeah, but you're not alone." Jake III told her. "Every dragon goes through it at different points of their lives. You just need to not let it get the best of you."
"Look at me!" Lin-Lin vainly clung to her belief. "I'm hideous!"
"Nah, I don't think you are." Jake III told her, giving her a smile. "I really don't think you're hideous."
"You must be blind." Lin-Lin growled.
"No, I'm just not superficial."
"You calling me superficial?!"
"No, not at all." Jake III continued to smile. "I think you're just in distress and you're being superficial. I don't think that you're superficial by nature. Does that make sense?" He asked her, his smile vanishing.
"None at all."
"How about this?" Jake tried again. "It's all about what's under your skin that matters, not what you look like."
"Where'd you hear that?" Lin-Lin rolled her eyes.
"My grandmother told me that that's what she told my grandfather when he went through his first molting cycle." Jake told her. "He tried to avoid her, but in the end, she saw him. And then, she told him that."
"Hmm..." Was Lin-Lin's response.
"Does that make you feel any better?" Jake asked her.
"Can't say that it does." Lin-Lin told him.
"And why not?"
"No one would ever tell me that."
"Oh, yeah?" Jake III smiled again. "I highly doubt that. Personally, Lin-Lin, I think you're cute."
For once, Lin-Lin had a look of genuine surprise on her face. "Wh...What?"
"I said that I think you're cute." Jake told her. "Very pretty. I've been thinking that since the first time that I saw you. Of course, we didn't start off on the right track."
"I highly doubt that you think I look cute now." Lin-Lin told him.
"You'd be wrong." Jake III gave her an assuring smile. "I mean, yeah. You do look like you used oatmeal as a face moisturizer, but you still look pretty."
At that moment, Councilor Agata, in her dragon form, turned around the corner and started to walk down the hall. When she saw Lin-Lin sitting with Jake III, her eyes widened in surprise.
Clearing her throat, Councilor Agata reached the two, making them both turn their heads back to normal to look at her.
"Oh great..." Lin-Lin muttered.
"Agent Clark, I thought we told you that you were supposed to serve today." Agata said.
"Yeah, that's why I'm still here." Lin-Lin narrowed her eyes. "I wouldn't be on this stupid island if it weren't for the fact that you told me to stay."
"But you're not doing anything." Agata said.
"There's nothing to do."
"So you just sit around and feel sorry for yourself?" Agata asked, a frown appearing on her face. "Oh, I'm sure that I can find something for you to do. Come with me." She finished as she turned and started to walk away, leaving Lin-Lin with a facial expression that was a mixture of shock and anger.
Growling, Lin-Lin forcefully picked herself up onto her feet and stormed passed Jake, Jake turning his head to the side to watch Lin-Lin storm after Councilor Agata.
LINE BREAK
Back in the alley, Fu Dog swallowed hard as he faced both Jackal and Cadence. "So..." Fu forced a smile onto his face. "...What do you two want to talk about?"
"You didn't count the money?!" Jackal exploded.
"Yeesh!" Fu said as he took a step back. "That's what you wanted to talk about?"
"This is your debt, Fu Dog." Cadence growled. "And here you are making our job harder for us, all because you didn't count your profit before you came to see us."
"Yeah, and this is your job." Fu said. "It's your job! It's your job to make sure that you bring back that money I owe the Magical Mafia!"
"And do you know what will become our job if you don't pay back the money that you owe?" Jackal said with a wicked smile on his face.
"Um..." Fu stalled, fidgeting nervously.
"Killing you." Jackal said.
Hearing this, Fu gulped, but at that moment, Trinity turned around the corner and walked back into the alley, holding the top hat in her mouth. Walking around Fu Dog, Trinity dropped the top hat on the ground, right in front of Jackal and Cadence.
"Well?" Jackal questioned the cat. "How much money is in there?"
"I might have made a mistake-" Trinity started, but Cadence cut her off.
"Then go count it again." Cadence growled.
"I said 'might'." Trinity said. "I counted, and I came up with about fifty-three dollars."
"Hey, that's not bad." Fu said with a hopeful smile on his face. However, that smile faded and turned into a pitiful frown. When he spoke again, his voice cracked, like he almost wanted to cry. "For a full day of humiliating labor."
"I'm going to contact the boss..." Jackal said as he started to walk forward, passing by Fu, who turned his head to the side, watching Jackal go. "...I'll report the earnings for today, and he'll tell me how much money you still have to earn."
"Great." Fu said as he turned his head back to normal. Sarcastically, he added: "I can't wait to find out how many more weeks or months I have to put up with this humiliation."
Moments later, Jackal returned and walked back into the alley. "Alright, Fu Dog..." He said as he walked by Fu, finally passing him and turning so that he and Fu Dog were face to face. "...I just finished talking to the boss."
Fu swallowed hard. "And?" Fu asked, starting to tremble. "How much more do I need to make?"
"According to the boss..." Jackal said. "...You only need to make two hundred more."
"Oh, brilliant." Fu Dog rolled his eyes. "That'll take me another month."
"Actually..." Jackal smiled wickedly. "...The boss wants it made by tomorrow. All of it."
"All of it?!" Fu's eyes widened.
"All of it." Jackal repeated. "All two hundred dollars, by the end of tomorrow. You don't have it, you will be the kibble that another dog will be eating for breakfast one morning."
Fu gulped hard once again, trembling with fear. This made Jackal's smile widen. "We'll see you tomorrow, Fu Dog." He said.
LINE BREAK
Having left the profits with Fu Dog, Jackal, Cadence and Trinity were all walking down a sidewalk. "Did the boss really say that?" Trinity asked.
"Listen here, rookie..." Jackal said, turning his head to the side. "...When you really want something, you got to tell a few lies. Of course the boss didn't say that. I just wanted to make Fu Dog soil himself in fear and try harder. I'm sick of this."
"But this is great." Trinity said, turning her head to the side. "I love watching Fu Dog make a fool of himself.
"Trust me." Jackal smiled as he turned his head back to normal. "I enjoy it just as much as you do. I'm sure Cadence does as well. However, as you'll find out as your career goes along, our boss has a three-strike rule. Once you hit three, you're out."
"What, are you on strike two?" Trinity asked.
"Strike one." Jackal answered. "We've been with the Magical Mafia for almost a century. Through all those times, we've landed ourselves in some hot water, but we've always managed to make amends before we reached strike three. But we landed in hot water again late last year when we failed to find out who the Dragon Kingpin was."
"Okay, but why did you lie?"
"We want to get back into the boss' good graces, Trinity." Cadence said, a bitter hint in her tone. "Especially me..."
"The sooner we get that money..." Jackal turned his head back to the side to look at Trinity again. "...The sooner we can make amends and the sooner that we will be able to say goodbye to Fu Dog forever."
Hearing this, Trinity's eyes widened and she gasped. No more entertaining performances from Fu Dog?
LINE BREAK
That night, in the alley, Fu was sleeping close to the top hat, keeping the money safe. Unbeknownst to the sleeping shar-pei, Trinity carefully and quietly turned around the corner and silently sprinted over to the hat.
As soon as Trinity reached the hat, she stopped and turned her head to the side, seeing that Fu Dog was still fast asleep.
Turning her head back to normal, Trinity quickly grabbed hold of the top hat with her teeth. Holding it carefully, the cat turned and sprinted out of the alley. Turning around the corner, she continued running, only stopping when she reached the end of the sidewalk.
Jumping off into the street, Trinity turned around to face an open storm drain. Getting closer to it, Trinity turned the hat and spilled all of the money out into the drain, the money falling into the darkness.
Lifting her head and the hat up, Trinity jumped back up onto the sidewalk and rushed to return the top hat back to Fu Dog's alley.
LINE BREAK
"NO!" The next morning, Cadence angrily slapped the hat across the alley with her paw. "No! No! No! NO!"
"I'm going to go contact the boss again." Jackal said in a disappointed tone as he walked by the trembling Fu Dog.
"Fu Dog!" Cadence raged as she pointed at the shar-pei. "If I could, I would kill you. I would clamp down on your neck with my jaws and I would snap your neck. I would KILL YOU IF I COULD!"
Fu swallowed hard as he continued to tremble. "Good thing you can't." He said. "Look, sister." He tried to reason with her. "There's no reason to start foaming at the mouth. This isn't my fault."
"Yes. It. Is." Cadence growled.
"Look, you left the money with me."
"YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE CAREFUL!" Cadence roared.
"What and not sleep?" Fu asked.
"If it had kept the dough any safer!" Cadence argued.
"Cadence..." Trinity, who was standing at the other side of the alley, the top hat right beside her, spoke up, making both Cadence and Fu Dog turn their heads to the side to look at her.
"What?" Cadence asked, annoyed.
"He is right." Trinity said. "He needs to sleep so he can have his strength for when he performs." A mischievous smile appeared on her face. "He can get the money back, and then move on to the extra two hundred that he owes. He'll just have to perform...some more..."
BLACKOUT; END EPISODE
A/N: Please review!
